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Houstin Mowery
Name: '''Houstin Mowery '''Title: The Duke of Roses Court: Spring (Duchy Spring) 'Apparent Age:' 35'''ish Seeming: '''Fairest '''Kith: Shadow Soul/ Woodblood Clarity: 5 Wyrd: '''5 '''Mask: *Houstin Mowery is a very attractive man, though not what many would consider attractive in a traditional sense. His eyes are dark and intense and his features are attractive without being overwhelmingly so. His features do not lend themselves to extremes, if he smiles it is a small gesture, if he frowns, he appears to be mildly displeased. Something about his gentle demeanor lures people in, and those who get close are inevitably snagged on the subtle thorns of his personality, unnable to pull away without being able to articulate exactly why. *He wears his dark hair parted over his brow and swept behind his ears where it falls in a distinctive layered style at his shoulders. He favors impeccibly cut suits, though always in fashions that are slightly dated prefering vests and lounging jackets with tails whenever possible. Even in his mortal mask a Rose is always present, whether pinned to a lapel or in the design of his cufflinks or tie. Mien: *Past the mask, few would mistake the Duke of Roses for a mere mortal. His flesh is the pure white of porceline and his features seem to have been shaped by some immaculate hand. His eyes reveal themselves to be pools of white ringed with pitch black. Distinct spiral scars/cracks start at the center of each cheek and wind up and around his eyes before looping back behind his pointed ears, the start of a pattern that covers his entire body. In his true mien, his hair darkens in color and gains horizontal streaks of deep crimson, the color of bleeding roses. *The Duke seldom wears anything that is not a hedgespun wonder, almost all of which are unique creations of the master tailor Jhosef Millner. Though his selection of suits is near limitless, he does have his favorites. He is most commonly seen in a understated vest and pant combination, marked by a tie hammered from shards of purest blue sky, and covered with a simple forest green tailcoat whose lining was woven from a thousand melted and refined rose petals. *The Dukes Mantle is intense when it manifests but tends to be quite subtle normally, restraining itself to a fragrant and omnipresent scent of roses that suffuses the area around him. When activating contracts or moved to intense emotions however the Duke frequently finds himself at the epicenter of a blizzard of phantom rose petals. If he feels the need to increase his grandeur further the Duke will commonly use the Contract of Elements to surround himself with whip-thin thorny vines that weave through the air around him like loyal serpents. Role: *The Duke of Roses, whatever else he may be, is a figure of frightening influence and authority in San Francisco. Though technically a group of equals, it is no secret that the other Dukes and Duchesses of Spring defer to Roses in most instances. Those who have a low opinion of Duchy Spring, both within the court and without, occasionally refer to him as the False King of Spring, or (with more venom) as the True King of Spring. *Though certainly not what most would consider a Sorcerer, it would be a fools move to assume that the Duke of Roses is not a powerful adversary beyond the obvious social arena. History: *Despite the perceptions of many, Houstin Mowery was not the first Duke of Roses, indeed he initially had no interest in the Duchy at all. Escaping the Hedge originally some 15 years ago, Houstin found the Court of Spring to be a natural choice and fit in among their ranks almost immediately. A time of great fear and paranoia suffused the freehold in the years leading up to the War of Weeping Eyes, many prepared for the worst as the Hag tirelessly sought out avenues of weakness. Houstin became a Hospitaller, a Knight of the Flowers specializing in using the powers of Spring to aid the wounded on the front lines. When war finally and inevitably erupted Houstin served his Court loyally and had a hand in saving many lives. While Claire led her last desperate ride against the Hag's forces on the Bay bridge, Houstin and the remaining Hospitaller's fought valiantly to protect the wounded and summer's flanks from several units of Special Boys and girls that the Hag had bewitched and made walk across the bottom of the Bay as a suprise attack. *In the aftermath of the War Houstin left the Hospitallers, weary of killing and haunted by the bodies of slain children that would forever mark the final act of the war in his mind. The conflict had left many casualties, one of them being the original Duke of Roses. Though before the war he had openly denounced the Duchy as a corruption of proper rulership, when Jack of the Ivy offered the coveted position to the young hero, Houstin eventually accepted for reasons he has never revealed. Shortly after becoming the Duke of Roses, he led the Judicry investigation that culminated in the exile of Jack of the Ivy to Oakland. When the Crown of Spring did not manifest after Jack's departure, Houstin was unsure of how to procede. It was he who suggested the policy of continuing on as though the Crown had never been lost, with the popular choice of the people serving as King and the Duchy as their advisors. *He cemented his legacy as an exemplar of Spring when he joined Claire in visiting the Court of the Hag in the aftermath of the war. Protected by whatever bizarre aegis shielded Claire, the Duke laid down the terms of the Hag's surrender in a pledge far more binding and foolproof than the newly crowned summer queen could have managed through her own words. *The Duke of Roses quickly learned the hard way that the games of popularity and power played by Spring Courtier's does not lead to the finest specimens of rulership, and over the years he has grown bitter and disillusioned, or so many assume. Where a younger and more idealistic Houstin may have been the ideal King of Spring, popular opinion holds that the Duke of Roses is far too bitter and corrupted for this role (a fact likely understood better by no one more than the Duke himself). Such musings are ultimately pointless of course, as those chosen as Dukes and Duchesses of Spring are unnable to wear that crown. Motley: *1950's Father (Holland Halloway) (Duke of Violets) *Loa Poanda (Duchess of Orchids) *Hodgewood Stiles (Formerly) Known Contracts (Assumed/Potentially) *Vainglory 5 *Eternal Spring 5 *Fleeting Spring 4 *Fleeting Summer 3 *Elements (Wood) 3 *Darkness 3 *Separation 2 Pledges (Rumored) *The Motley Pledge *Oath of a Piper's Child *Coronet of the Duchal Office